Amethyst

Ars Phoenix is a darkwave/post-punk/synth pop trio featuring Jon Glover on vocals, synth, guitar/dobro, 5-string bass, glockenspiel, and sampler/drum machine; Caitlin Ollinger on vocals, synth, glockenspiel, and Indian bamboo flute; and Mike Cruickshank on electric violin and synth.

Currently residing in Vero Beach, FL, Ars Phoenix remains a staple of the Gainesville, FL music scene, where Ars Phoenix was transformed from an essentially defunct solo project into a working band in 2008. Ars Phoenix has recently appeared on two compilations for the Brazilian shoegaze/nu-gaze label The Blog That Celebrates Itself Records, showcasing an ability to blur the boundaries between electronic pop and guitar-driven rock music. Having just completed their third East Coast tour (summer 2013), Ars Phoenix is set to release a 12" LP for Etxe Records called Violent Rain, a title that embodies the Florida trio's sensitivity to the darker, sublime, and less tameable aspects of the Sunshine State. This past March (2013), Ars Phoenix released a single for "Amethyst" on the Locrian-operated Land of Decay cassette label. The limited edition run of 50 copies rapidly sold out, enticing listeners with a gripping preview of Violent Rain.

Ars Phoenix has been touring regionally in support of Violent Rain and will tour nationally between 2014 and 2015.

Press Quotes

"It’s dangerous to compare any band to Joy Division, but Ars Phoenix is what Ian Curtis’ band might have sounded like had he had a female backing vocalist on every track, a lot more synthesizers, and a reference to post-rock’s cinematic climaxes. Much of Violent Rain is cold, but not callous; it calls you in out of the drizzle and lets you gaze out on it from behind slightly frosted windowpanes. It’s a dark place but so beautiful you barely notice, barely feel the chill creeping in... Violent Rain is unsettling, yet it speaks to something so fundamentally true—how life is lived in gray areas—that it will be hard to stop yourself pressing 'play' again." -- District Beat, DC

"With the delicacy of Lycia and the thrill of The March Violets, Ars Phoenix captures and enraptures... If you are looking for a run-of-the-mill DeathRock band, there are plenty of generic acts out there, trying to be the next great Bauhaus. Ars Phoenix is not one of them. They aren't wanna-be's. They are leaders." -- DeathRat Fanzine reviewing Violent Rain demo tracks

"Cavernous guitars and weeping synths" -- Fabricoh Magazine reviewing the "Amethyst" cassette single for Violent Rain

"January 2014 Staff Pick of the Month" -- Fabricoh Magazine